The grandmother of missing baby Evelyn Boswell will be extradited to Tennessee to face charges in connection with the child's disappearance.
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Angela Boswell, 42, and her boyfriend, William McCloud, 33, waived their rights to challenge extradition Monday in a Wilkes County, North Carolina, courtroom. The couple had been arrested late Friday on fugitive warrants and were being sought for questioning in the confusing case of the disappearance of 15-month-old Evelyn, who vanished at least two months ago.
The pair was taken into custody after being apprehended in a 2007 BMW that Tennessee authorities were searching for as part of their missing persons investigation. The child was not with them.
Tennessee's Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy told reporters Friday that Evelyn's 21-year-old mother, Megan "Maggie" Boswell, had given "conflicting and inaccurate" information to investigators. Later that day, the mom spoke briefly to a local station, saying she knew who had her baby, but didn't report her missing because she was afraid the person would disappear.
"Well, the reason I didn't report it or anything was I knew the person who had her, and I didn't want them to run away with her," Megan said. "And as soon as they thought anything was going on, they just kinda vanished. So I'm just kinda worried, you know, about where they are at. What they're doing with her at this point in time."
It was not clear to whom she was referring.
Megan Boswell posted this photo of Evelyn on her Facebook page Monday. Facebook/Megan Boswell
An Amber Alert was issued Feb. 19 for the blond-haired, blue-eyed girl after her grandfather contacted child welfare authorities to say he hadn't seen the child in months. Officials initially said she was last seen on Dec. 26, but at Friday's press conference, the sheriff said she was more likely last seen by her babysitter on Dec. 11.
The grandfather, Tommy Boswell Sr., told WJHL-TV he hasn't seen the baby since Thanksgiving, further complicating the issue of what day the child went missing.
"I don't know what happened, but I'm the one who called DCS and got this started," he said. "I ain't slept nights. I've cried like a baby. I just want my grandbaby to come home."
He is the ex-husband of Angela Boswell, who is Maggie's mother. Maggie has full custody of Evelyn. The child's father, Ethan Perry, is an Army soldier stationed in the Louisiana. The parents never married. Perry is cooperating with investigators, authorities said.
Frustrated detectives are also trying to figure out why it took so long for baby Evelyn to be reported missing, according to Cassidy.
At Monday's court hearing, McCloud, Angela's boyfriend, told the judge the BMW he and Angela were riding in had been a gift from Maggie, and the couple did not know there was any kind of problem with it.
Authorities said the owner of the car said she didn't receive payment for the vehicle and so reported it as stolen.
"I had no idea anything had went wrong with the car," McCloud said. "Apparently [Maggie] hadn't paid for the car. Neither of us was aware of anything about that."
Angela Boswell told the judge she was anxious to get home. "I'd like to get back there and get this situation with my granddaughter resovled."
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